Method and apparatus for sorting particles of solid divided material by a cinematic process



w. N. DIMICK. l METHODAND APPARATUS FOR SRTING PARTICLES 0F SOLID DIVIDED MATERIAL BY A CINEMATIC PROCESS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR` 6,1920.

Patented Nov. 14, 1922 @Azam W. N. DMMICK. METHOD AND`APPARATUS FOR SORTING PARTICLES 0F SOLID DIVIDED MATERIAL BY A GINEMATIG PROCESS.

APPLICATION FILI-:n.MAH. 6, 1920.

1,435,382. Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Nane ll, lC

f l l wALTEaN. Dimm/tremor BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD 'Ann aPraEarUsEer-,sozarrusPaEfrIoLEsoEsoLrnErzrnED MATERIAL BY a Gianmario, PROCESS..

application Afuggi Marsh. e, 192'0.' fse'riai Noeea/-za To all fui/0m t may concer/ni:

' Beit known that I', ALTEE N. DIMMICKQ.

a citizen of the United States, and a resident ot Berkeley, in the eountyoi Alameda and State of California, have inventedc'ertain ner,v and useful lmproveinentsin Methods and Apparatus for Sorting ParticlesKV of Solid Divided Material by' Cinematic Process7 of whichl the following isa speci'-y tlcation.

lMy invention relates to the 4method 'of "and apparatus for sorting .or separatihg'the units or particles of solid divided Inaterialinto avaregates in which thepartieles kor units stituent froni the gangue or nonernet'allie contents and in suchapplicationr 'maybe practiced either upon metal-bearing; sand or grat/'els fis/found @in a natural statexot dirision or may be used or practiced Vfor metalbearing ores Which', torthobest results; are crushed or comminnted;

- ln' carrying ont 'my invention l resort to an"ascending'fstreain" ot duid such-fior` ini stance as Water, air or steanrhayi lo a gradn Hated velocity or velocity ditte..

niinishingj as thestreanirises, andthe di c solid material oliwhatover nature isv teo into said strearn and a sorting orseparating;A ett'ect of the dilierent Weights or particles is effected by the differ'encesA of' velocity; and bnoying; effect of'zthe stream at different levels7 the sepa-rated 'material beingl removed therefrom in its buoyed or sustainedv posi tion through a' side outletor outletsg'thus effecting' the separation by weights rather than by Volumes or bulks; thel 1" i'ther separation and Completion ci thef ocessby a sorting; into particles of 'apni'r 'nnately the saine bulk beingveiectedthrough the agency of a body of fluid or lieuidl into4 which the collected particles or solids at tlieditterent ylevels are introduced. in a manner toVv Jtall therein and at the same/time be subjected'to a sidewise displacing ell'ect, by any suitable means, so that' in certain sections 'andat the bottom oli' the body of Water'tl'ie'. particles approximating-'in `Weight Will be 'disposed ink "differenthorizontal l positions' respectively, from whichl theyniay be removed by any suitable means.. Bythis `process l' attain a coi'nplete andi perfect' specific gravity "separation of the particles by Weights as well as size', although as will be readily; understood,

fthe second step of separation' in'tobuljl'sor sizes inightfbe omittedin caseswherfe'a rougher or' less. complete separat-ion into grades of different Weight-sis desire'd. f

The `invention consistsfin the nietllodgor process and in the apparatus forcafrrying out the same as"more"particularlyhereinafterdescribed" and(claimed:l

p For theseparation ofthe solidparticles orunitsrby Weight or. speciicfgravity any steady fluid pressure"forproducing thea'sl kcending'stream may be employedV and in the case of Water or'o'ther 'liquid is 'most readily obtained from a reservoir stand or 'headgbut y as will be readily. understood, otherirne'ans mayl be utilized' for obtaining: steady pressure' and for preferably regulating lthe pres` surel to vary thfeVolu-nie andryelo'city ofthe iloiv'fcf the liquid vor fluid throun'hfA kinetic vener, 0 ;y utilized in i Zones ot" diilring effect by the Vuse of. suitable means 'for producing a diminishing velocity offlow jas lthe stream ofliquid ordiuid'ascends. Obviously any required pressure` orV vvelocity or How 'da manded by thenaturefandsize o'ftheparticles or units in the divided materialinay he einplyedibut lflavefsuccessfully practiced the process by'us'ing *al Water supply under about flftyj'footheador about 21.67 pounds to the square :inch- With'iapparatus 'of theV particular torni'y sh'oyvn in the drawings;

A pre-requisite to a successfuland conr- 'pleteseparationbymy process' is that' the material 'to' be Y operated upon" be "in such j a state of division as `will "permitfofth'efpafrticles beingfgradedfinto practically uniform si'aesithis requirementy is necessary in order that the "proper energyy maybe 'appli'edf'wvith out Waste and With'` the greatestf'ellicien'cyl The-principles of the processare adaptable to thehandling of particles of any reasonable size that may lb e Within" liscope ci flo apparatus constructed for the purpos Ordinary gravel, the particles of which Will pass through screens of one-quarter inch mesh, may be successfully handled for roughly selecting out the larger particles of the common minerals and such particles as may be of the more valuable and heavier minerals and metals. The process Werl-:s eiliciently and economically on line placer gravel deposits. But, as only a very small proportion of the minerals composing any placer deposits are in such state of division and purity as Will permit of precise separation, it is evident that the over-large pieces, especially of composite ores, must be reduced and so divided that a more intimate separation may be effected; and to that end a certain amount of crushing or grinding of the coarse material becomes necessary.

lNhile the practical application of the principles involved is especially vuseful for the separation of minerals, the process is equally efficient for the separation of solids other than those popularly known as minerals; and When operated by one of several energies and With appropriately constructed apparatus, vvill effect a specific gravity separation of any solids.

In the best manner of employing my invention particularly when applied to the concentration of ores, the process requires as a preliminary or` first operation the grading` of the material into sizes. The second and an essentially distinctive operation is the separation of said 4different grades of sizes into groups 0f particles having the same or approximately the same Weights. As the closeness of group separat-ion necessarily depends upon the accurate Weighing of the particles the apparatus is so designed that, by simple adjustment of parts, the Weighing may be effected to any required degree of accuracy. l

In the third operation the particles when grouped by their several relative Weights are then separated into aggregations of particles having practically uniform bulks or volumes.

. As to the preliminary operation in case of ores, of mechanically dividing the ores into reasonably small particles of nearly uniform size, the product of such a division as may come from an ordinary mill. may be handled with remarkably goed re sults, but if a close concentration be required the particles should be separated into grades or ranges of sizes which, for descriptive purposes may be conveniently designated as medium, fine, very line, etc. 1f the product of themill is handled as a Whole Without preliminary grading into sizes byscreening or otherwise, care must be taken that the particles composing the pulp do not have any dimensions greater than a suitably established maximum of, say 1.5

the

millimeters,-r such dimensional maximum as Will best serve to effect the requirements of particular cases.

The milled ore When of particles having dimensions less than the fixed maximum, may for descriptive comment be designated .standard grade. lf the material to be operated upon be of standard grade very satisfactory results will be obtained, sufticiei'it to meet all requirements for ordinary separa tion of the common minerals. But a treat-- ment of a standard grade of pulp by opera-- tion number one becomes of special importance, in that it effects the separation of the particles into more definite and required. grades. Any or all rsuch sub-grades may then, if desired, be separately subjected to the next or more characteristic separation which is fully described hereinafter.

In practice it is found Well Worth While for the recovery of very minute particles of the more valuable minerals, to make three or more subgrades which loosely defined may be medium comprising those particles Whose dimensions may range from say, 1.5 mm. down to .86 mm. g finencomprising those particles Whose dimensions may range fromv l. mm. down to .70 mm.; vand very line comprising particles Whose dimensions range from .70 mm. down to the very least occurring. A preliminary subfdivision o f the particles into grades. having any approXi mate range of sizes is important when the entire principles that makeup this process arevto be applied for close or accurate results in the recovery of all values.

1n respect to classification by bulls it should be observed that When there is sufficient variance in sizes to permit, fairly adequate separations may be accomplished in several Ways, the commonest of which is screening. Screening, however, has decidedv limitations and becomes practicable only When a separation of certain definite bullrs is required; it is not adequateto effect a sep' aration of many very slightly differing bulks', such this process undertakes to acT curately handle. Screening or preliminary separation into grades is therefore'rnot an essential feature of my process although it may be used to advantage in certain instances, such as, a preliminary grading ofparticles for the second or important opera. tion,or when only a rough sorting is to be done. l

1n the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an 'apparatus by which the subsequent operations of separation by Weights and then by sizes accord ing to the principles of my invention may be carried on.

Fig. 2 is afvertical section of one of the size or bulk separators shown in Fig. 1 eularged to full Working size.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the movement of particles linthe Weight separator part of the apparat-usas they r'iiayl sometimes" be observedthrough transparent sidesv of' the saine. l, i'

Fig. l slioWSthc Way iii which the parti- `cles dispose themselves in the size sortingr tifcles thatv are tobe recovered; such point -lofieed may be more vparticularlylocated "as compartments 'after the operation therein.

Referring ii'rst to thepaits by'jivhi'cli `the Weight separation is effected:

I is a space, vessel or duct through whichY is directed an ascendin` volume oteiieifgy,-

(in the case liei'ein described tlie'energy is Water) supplied by pipe S intoreceptacle :O which is the point Where the volumeis icontrolled. Water Where the' requisite maximuinstreain velocity is determined and applied. The water ascending`- in Lbeingotunitorm volunie of flow, takes a decreasing velocity as the recess eiilarges upward and therefore at eachhori'zontal line or sectioiior zoneV of the interior oi the recessl there is a velocity which exerts 'a definite `and a 'measurable energy.y which when employed as abuoyant force is proportionate. to'the velocity.v at that point'. The insoluble rsolids when ted into thisascending` stream of Water, by their weight submerge 'or emerge to," yand are poised at, the point ot equilibrant buoyant torcefi 1 "It will be found of advantage to have the axis i oit' the flowinclined Ito themvertical and also to give an inclinatien to the outer vWall I in' which gate fva'l'i'fes G or otherv means `iter Withdrawal of thev accumulation or aggregate.ofi-particles ot aiiproxiinating ygi'avities arelocated. -Tlie vessel as shown,

may beidesc-ribed 'as beingV a vertical plane or narroiv sectionvof an. iiiif'ertedv cone: that is to say, l it is avesseltlie sidewalls ot which are` triangular and perpendicular of. limited but exact distance apart; and' the end Wallsv diverging upward `trom the base' `after the manner of, aiidclosely r'cssembling` i an elongated letter V; Theinteriorfspacev Vmay be likened to a narrow crevice, in which is affixed an adjustable partition dividing the interior space into tivo recesses landtol be presently described. 1 These recesses may, by a shifting enlarged or diminished as may bevreqiii'red tor accurate adjustment to dierent energy supply and nature and amountoivork to bepertorined. i y

ln the ascending` streaiii oi' water 'or-other fluid iii l the divided material to-be sepa-` rated according to Weight of its particles'is ted preferablyas a pulp iii anysuitable manner, the `particles being of different Weights 'and bulks -to anextent depending upon the preliminary. classification lor natural state et ythe material operated upon.

rlllie feeding is eilicie'ntly accomplished byl a simple contr'ivance whereby the "pu'lp,vb.y

From receptacle0`y tlievvoluine of ias'ses yu i throudh a Graduated orifice the upwardistream as indicated-'r et thepaitition, be reciproca lly y gravity veuperiniposedy by a f sniall jet Water,v air or steamy is directed; doii'nivard through feed pipe' F inte the space l. a

averageot thespecificgiavities of the par? being near the `centeriof mass of the coluinn'` ,of ascendiiigavatei. The point iot proper Feed will if'ary, et course, the recess may be enlarged or diminishedby ashitting ot the partition in the adjustment of apparavtus to'ineet differentconditionsor change in volume of work, but the teed pipeis madeV adjustable 4to requirements :ot` allpi'opei'd adaptation.` The `feed is preferably-sodirected that the pulp will iin" its ldownward travel have a' tendency. to approach;on;a. .slight 4tangent` the curving' center lline 'et The selection of. particles byjtheirre'spec# tive Weights vis accomplished by thisr process y in the Weight' separator in the following v manner. Thev particles composing'- the-prepared pulp,= ofsall bullrs `and of varying I `Weights, are fed' into the separatorfat the f proper point v-as determined. i' Bythe action ofthe ascending stream the particles begin the act "of separation, whereby thelighter ascend and *the* heavier Vdescend 'nntileacl particle finds its' `equilibiant -isupportin,g` Jforce. rllhe ,pointfof equilibration istirst found soiiieivllatxtol vthe side' ofthe upward 1 stream, but byv theicom'position' and opposition of theattending forces the'particles are inclined' toward' I` th'ecenteivot `the lstream 'Where is a` slightly less ldiminished velocity '(lience a slightlylgreater buoyancy) `which raises the load gradually to` the highest point or apex of tlieequilibriumr.; FromV thence the particles gra-diiallydescend in a vline of equipoise whichy here incl ines downward: "Conil 'formably With-fthe decreasing velocityfand theyreinain atithe other edgeot the s treain` i at or on'thel opposite side of the recess, ina

nearlyfstationaryposition except for ageiitly i:

vibrating` inotion'vivhich becomes of advan-- tagelas Will'appearjin the description 'of the The removal ,of 'each accumulating, Weight vgroup is `accomplisliedat aiidtliroiigh the4 4 gate-'valves G provided for Vthe,

puitpese in the foot Wall 1'; vThe nuinliier oth/fates i'e-f quired.,"togetlier'with' thei i'. .locations relfat Te to each other, Adepends enithe nature -ot'lilie material that iis under treatment asiyellas Athe size and lrinlsofthevv particles that are 'to be separatedtor recoverywor reinoiafl that? `is, it" it be desired toeii'ect with one operai-' htgroiips,

' only, it is evident valves being;` unnecessary Ytor the Work inv l1 and or infrequentlyrequired, they may rcmain closed or may be removed and a bla l; or plug` substituted.

rllhesev trate -valves are preferably especially designed and constructed to 'facilitate the peculiar and very important conveying;`

ofthe Weighted particles out from the iveigjh- ,y

cslosing Walls are tightly yoinedto the side ing apparatus and into any properly arranged receptacle. Without disturbance ot the groupings and. without interference or hindrance ot the Weighing activities that niay' `be in progress. lilachy gate-valve G in the wall l, as shown., is preferably provided with a concaved front whereby and with the aid `given by the gently vibratinbfT motions referred to, the particles are induced by least resistance into the concaved front of the particular open gate-valve opposite lwhich they arel assembled and the accumulations ot particles of approximately the same Weight yiall across the aorupt valve rim, pass out through the outlet pipe F of the valve and are lrecovered or subjected to the further sorting or separation Vby bullr or size.v

Since specii'ic gravity is the ratio between the Weights ot equal volumes of substances and the standard, and since this operation makes the separations by particle Weights that substances that are olf the same specic gravity Will be assembled at several of the sections of the Weight separator in accordance With and as the particle bullrs may be in ratio to the standard.

The accumulations then at any. levvel or point on the lower side (or toot-Wall) l are ot particles having` lilre Weights but probably with some unlike bullrs; that is, bulks will dii'l'er in proportion as the specific gravities ot thev material present. may

From this fact it is'evident that it the particles have been reasonably well graded in the firstinstance, that is in operation number one, and the material treated be ot homogeneous particles, there will be comparatively few bulk variations in any ofthe accumulations but when there are variations it is noticeable that the bulks` differ conspicuously. lt is these marked and signiiicant differences that enable a close bulle :separation to be effected inthe next or succeeding operation.

Separation by bullas or sii/Les: y

The process of the more preciso separa.- tioii by slightly different bullrs may be accomplished in rreceptacles such as indicated at C into Which the material may-be :tedby pipes l!" `which, inthe apparatus shown, are connected each to its own gatewalve Gr in the toot-wall l or" the `Weight separator.

i llhen the accumulation is separated as al ready described by Weightsand Withdrawn through the gate-valves G supplemented by the action to be non7 described, a nearly perfeet separation ot varying;` bullrs may bel ettected. receives grouped particles .of approximately like Weights and sorts the same into separate aggregations of particles having` common bullrs. As will be seen, the side Wall o1" the compartment above which the inlet pipe F delivers the divided material to be sorted is inclined to the vertical. The other ena volume oit still Water or air; that is to say, y

a volume having; ythe same compression as the adjoiningsection ot l, but being unatfected by the passing` stream velocity is in a state of comparative quiesence.`

The conducting pipe li" delivers the divided material into the compartment at a slight angle so Ythat a slanting direction Will be `given to the particles as they enter the still Water below. And as all particles that enter a particular compartment areo very nearly the same Weight, the smallest particles ywill settle out of the slanting; line more directly, and .vith greater speed than Will the larger; because 'of the tact that small particles have less resisting surface, and in settling` cause less displacement of the Water' or other fluid, as for instance air, than do the larger particles.

N iv, as very nearly the same gravity pull is in effect on each particle, it is obvious that the Water resistance and displacement determines the speed of descent; and on the other hand, the smallest particles settle outl more directly than do the larger, because having; less exuosure of surface they have less inclination to glide in the slanting direc-` tion. that is imparted by the sloping induction tube. llore foremost in reaching the sloping side (or toot-Wall) oi the compartment,which they followr downward with accelerating speed as they accumulate .in mass Weight; While the larger particles, travelling downward more slowly and Heatingiiarther out into the still Water, air or other tluid, tend to land further down and on the torming stratum or" finer particles riding' on the toot- Wall. ln the same manner will` lodge each and all oiE the several sizes that may arrive,-

.the smallest on thelovver sloping side or foot-Wall and the differing sizes will be deposited and arranged in respective strata graduating upward and outward, with the Each chamber or compartment Cv The smallest particles are there' lciples the proceedings are z' retrasa Y very `largest of the particlesin conspicueus layers Onu-the extrem@ anta/ard margin nef the heap. lnthese positions IWillrideftllemass vwithout disturbance until thebottom of the compartment yisly.reached, 'Wherethe different Slayers gof `graded sizesepread-out in aggregations Without perceptible fdisturbance, except that in the spreadingout movement f the applied new principle exerts a furtherand a very decidedcorrectifve sepa; ration by thegsizes.

ln this connection attention shouldfalsobe called to the fact that the smallest particles, be they .few jor" many, actually do Worlrdovvn behind or `through@any `amount fof larger particles; Athat may have preceded, g and they find their proper assemblage in the lower section of thecompartment-' g As the particles that enterany single compartment vCare all of very near the same Weight,y regardless of iany variances insize and being of nearly the saine I vigveights 1 the gravity pull isthe same (ver-y 1nearly) on each particle; therefore inthe perpendicular.

direction, downward, A the force that 3 applies on each particle is equal. These perpendicular and equal :torces,as `such.,- that is, forces l 'of equalnstressvexerted vin a downvWard rdirection,- are lacking inftheparticular characteristics thaty make for s0rting instill Water, andas 4thesearefthevonly forces vpresent or available, vit, `therefore ,be-` comes necessary to convert theseflorces into such as Willanswer theneed and ilperform the service.- j

The necessary conversion Iof 'force-elect is made -by changing lthe r,perpendicr 1la.r stress in part, into apartial sideWi'seni'ove-` ment or stress. This is do,ne,by changing thedirection in Which gravityfmust exert its forcesg'and -is-accomplished and controlled by .the rigidUoot-,Wall Vibeiriggfized at the proper vangle.to give asheering movement that will apply a portion A' of.. .each gravity force in an'inclined direction. It is a Well established-fact that v,bodies of matter require yless l torce .tOzmOiVQ 9511161111 horizontally 'than tto raise vertically, and ,this tact is more conspicuously, ruer oinatter that is submerged in water Aorother liquid; therefore it does notreoluire4 the 'full Weightforce to move` a particle sideW-ise in the compartments. The ladaptatigm and the utilization of the conditions resultingiunder and by reason offthese facts, togetl1er with the manner of application, i is. claimed vasjafnother of the fundamental principlesof this process.

In vthe practical application of these@rin;v

The smallestparticles, `by the law otffall# ing bodies, are the first to reach the. sloping' foot-Wall Where their Weightiorce isfdeilected'on the incline and made toA crow-:lwith a sidewise push `againsttheir` next nearest neighbor ,which .with its Weight-force ,coni-v bines for joint attacknpon .the next particle, f

and so'fon throughout ,the i accumulations 1 follows, rtherefore, that the ,amountof torce exerted sidewise against `any particu,

larparticle `is iii-"proportion tothe number double` Vthe size all being of equallweights) f particles ,thaty may impinge f We shallt havevtwoWeight-forcesA directed on f f and against oneaveight-orce, ,resultinbofv in evident displacement in .the line of least resi s tanc'c;.or if three l particles-should impinge upon two particles, 'move-ment, of. the` twov take v place.

Therefore, any group or. mass oi particles k,will move any other group ormassthat may have la lesser rna'ssweighti Jforce; vany overbalancing force' lwill prevail and cause movement to the placement.

AThis principle is'the-timportant factor that` effectsfand controls the separation'swtb atjare extent of dis-f made- Within .the compartments.v This prin-` ciple is in operative ellect threuglrout fthe j entire length kof, the compartment beca-usery i of the fact that it isthe--mass -Weighto-teach overtopping Istratum ,that v'deternnries 'fthe cent particle or group orl stra-tuin otparti-, cles. The eiiec-ts of the principlev are more conspicuously e ident when the severalinass accumulations 1reach-,the lowest 'unoccupied section "of the compartment, Where, in c on-l L Squencefof lthe -restrani-earisd betteln, the accumulations .can movie ,only in a'vhorizontall direction tand' are i spread. out;v to a' f greater distance-in'the i-li-ne',etleast resistance. g f

lt fis There thatt he 1 sofcalled-` vcorrective\ separation. nreferred to in ,the texte-is most apparent and probably most :effective';i4 for Wrong' size-class are here, seemingly,'gsingled out for special common .attackandare jammed I about .and f-'displaced jdoininating impinging forces, andy made tok lodgefein the class of theirgequal size, Where, the si'detvise stress is balanced. This action may be viewed` throught'he glass sides of the com.

lmay be 'alsoobserved Particles of matter es y0f' various Weights at vparticular zones or levels` havin-sth@ Same, Spe@'eravtvfmeafbeleed usually are assembled in more than one coin-l pa-rtment 0; the. number, of .compantlxnentsjin -Which distribution isk-niadeudependsupon the nature of Ithe.material operated upon and theyextent to which'separationsniaylbe necessaryV or :desirable Inl alljcompartf ments, however,` 'the particles always refr-,

lio

range themselves in accumulated masses in the order ot their respective gravities; that is to say, the finer particles (having the higher specitlc gravity) Will be VJround 'nearest to the foot-Wall in each compartment; and such accumulations may for descriptive purposes be designated @rder No. l, and the accumulations of the next slightly larger sized particles (having the next lower gravizy} in each compartment may be designated Urder No. 2, and so on for as many orders ot separation as it may be deemed advisable to make in any compartment.- Eachsize separator is accordingly provided With separate gate-valves GlwGt,

, or other means, oi' any eorrespoiiiding numessary, Without any perceptible disturbance of the remainingv accumulations, except that the masses may shift position somewhat as a vacated space may be ie-occupied.

The several collected orders ot separation that are made by the apparatus are `gatheredv into masses ol kind by attaching a Wateri'illed flask to a gate-valve stem or outlet and, by opening` the gate the overlaying` accumulation readily passes down into the flask; the ,gate is then"closed,`the flask is removed and contents'added to the other'eztractions oit like specific gravity. y

ln apparatuses Working on large volumes of material it is proposed, to facilitate the gathering, to have suitably enclosed'vvater filled tanks provided, each of vvhich may be connected With all those certain compartment-gates that may control like specific Lgravity separations; and in this phase of action the apparatus may thus' be made nearly self-acting.

The process of separating or concentrating' ores inthe manner above described by a preliminary separation ot the crushed or comininuted ore into grades that pass re-` spectively screens 8, 20, 40, 60 and 80 mesh. to the inch Will produce excellent results in the case of all `grades but remarkably so in the case of the smallest grade; but a reduction ot the minerals to smaller dimensions Will give more accurate results`,-in tact the finer the division, the more accurately and effectively does, the process Work.

The fact is recognized that no matter how small the particle may be, or `to what extent the laws of crystallization and fracture may control the result-s oit a mechanical division, theoretically a particle may still be" ol complexv ore; that is to say, the particle may consist of mineral substances having ditierent specific gravities and in Widely dittering; proportions.l Attention is called toV the tact that when such instances lpresent themselves, this process willy selectout such particles by their mean specific gravity, and Will deposit them accordingly with those' concentrates that have similar 2afravities and Which may be intended tor a smelter treatment.

The mechanical operation ot the appara-- tus, when once it is set up and properly ad` yusted to the particular requirements, is compara-tively a simple matter, requiring' only ordinary care in directing the .teed and the extractions; tor beyond this the e-ppara-` l through the gates opened Wide; and when all accumulations are removed hose stream may be turned in at the top ot recesses l and R and any remaining stray or adhering' substances are Washed down and into the catchbasins and out through gates Gand GG] lll/*hen the energy Flow is stopped in l either by shutting down77 or by any cutting olil ot the supply, the particles in suspension in l will settle to the bottom. These sottliiigs pass the regular gate-valves Without' entering and will be received in the catchbasin Ll, Where they are removable at and through gate G5, and it desired may be reintroduced into the apparatus when started up. The catch-basin (l is ot double importance and use in that it is very necessaryv for and facilitates a ccleaning up,7 and also, it serves to catch and retain all particles ot' metal and minerals Whose specie gravities are higher than the limit at Which the apA paratus may be' set `tor ordinary recoveries, The ball-valve in the catch-basin Working over the nozzle ot the supply pipe 5 isheld' open by the stream torce and closes on 'the stoppage, thereby pieventiiig` any or the settlings 'from getting in the supply pipe S.l

lecess lit: ln respect to recess li it may be mentioned that this is to be kept full of ivater by the overllovv from l through the graduated opening1 or lWeir PW in the top ot the partition. The keeping` of this recess full of Water serves tivo important purposes:

iirst, the stand ot Water therein is utilized to counter-balance the pressure on the opposite side ot the partition in l so as to assist in keeping the partition in its proper ad-v justed place and to safeguard against' any loss of energy' inl which mightbe caused by leakage ot Water or oi'' any extremely line particles et the heavier minerals metals from the other side; and second, 'the Water in R being fslack, except fonthe overflow` Vv3..The#method oifseparating.particlesor at weirs PW' and Il, serves adn b .yv-torth'e units offsfolid'dividedsinaterialintounitsotapsettling-and retention oi' 4vsliiues ceedingly ii'ine and light materials that may goover from Athe other recess. li it be desired to-save such accumulations the mass maybe drawn `rom--thelower catclrbasin R, through the gate 5G provided for this purpose; and also, thecatcli-basin and gate are of great coiiveniencein'cleaning up.

The ,apparatus may be so arranged and constructed that, by the proper and eXact adjustment of its parts, any one or a ynumber oi desiied different specific gravi-ty ininerals or metals may be isolated in precise separations,fwhile those minerals lot `lower specific gravity, not desired, may be rejected andl allowed 'to escape as tailings. This feature of the process is `accomplislied by a proper setting and adjustment loifthe two weirs N2 and W3 at vthe uppermost section of recess I, so thatfthe outgoing stream at H will have the exact volume audvelocityl necessary to carry oil the particles ot the undesirable or rejected mineralsthat are of normal size'and weights. Y

The capacity fof this process, in a broad sense, may be said to be unlimited; tor-the extent to which it may `he applied isre stricted only bythe ratio of the energy sup-4 plyv to y the material to be treated.

What l claim as my invention is l. The method'ot separating divided solid material into aggregatesio'f particles otap-` proximately the same weight -andapproni-` mately the same size, consisting in feeding the v,divided material into an upwardly directed stream of fluid of velocity diminishving upwardly tolocate or sustain particles of different speciiic gravitylin different vertical positions according to zones of velocity,

removino` the scorreva-ted articles of a b C C proximately the same specific gravity or weight from said zones and separating each segregated aggregation ,so removed into particles of approximately the same size byallowing thesame to settle by gravity in a body of fluid wherein the particles 'are given a partial sidewise movement during their tall. i,

2. The method of concentrating ores iconsisting in crushing the ore, dividing the crushed material into grades, subjecting each grade to the separating effect of ani ascending stream 01" liquid having velocity diminishing upwardly to separate the particles by gravity or weight, removing` eachv aggregation or assemblageV of particles oit approximately the same weight from the side oi the stream and subjecting eacli'sepa-` rate aggregation to a furthersorting action into aggregations oil approximately the same. volume or bulkv by, allowing' it to drop in a bcdv ct licuid while beinoj affected b1 a e l i. :l

sidewise displacing action.

or any eX-y lproximately'thesame 1 size,` consisting in feedwherein the particles are allowed to settleby gravi-ty,I and at the same' time yare sub]ected to a deflectingordisplacing action causing them tobejmoved laterally or sideivise fromvertical and collecting` them `in aggregates displacing action tendingto 'move the par-rf- `ticles during` their tall sideivise' `from `the,

of differentsizesv occupyinc-.respectively dit-y er'Slthorizontalyposition v f l p Means'for separating solid particles"of divided "material according to bullnleomprising aive'ssel holding a body-of lquidlin" qu'iescentcondition means tordelivering the' material into .the body'otliquid an angle.

tothe vertical and means 'tor removing from p the bottom? `of'saidftanlr the aggregates roty particles of diii'erent vsizes respectively collecting in ditl'erent h Y"izontalpo `tions.'

,6. Means. for separat ngsolid divided mawl terialvinto aggregate 'of-'fdittferent specific gravity, conip'ii'sin ichai'nberglof size in-v creasing upwardly :and lmeans `'il-"or introduc, ingi fluid underl pressure at thel bottom of the4 column or chamber, anV outlet near ythev top'of the column having nieanstor graduating the dow, means in the side of the column `for `removing the aggregate' suspended in the streama chamber connected with 4the iirst chamber by a Weir for receiving the slimes :and lighter"materials carried'tofthe upper level of the lstreamand catch 'basin at the bottom of the latter column. f 7. Means for grading or separating particles or unitsot `solid divided material accordingl to bulli, comprising a vessel or re-` i ceptacle adapted to contain liquid and haw ingv aninclined side Wallj and means ij'oii feeding the material into said receptacle at'v a point such that the particles or units in their tall to the bottom may, engage the in-` clined side wall and means in the bottom of l, I

saidyessel for removing the 'aggregates of particles of dili'erent bulk collecting respectively at the bottonioi"` the vessel in `dif.l

ferent horizontal positions. 4

8. 'Means for 'separating particles or units of, solid divided material according to size y or bulk, comprising atank or.-compartment,

iisl

adaptedvto hold-"a body of liuid .in quiescentk f condition and having an inclined; side wall,

means for feeding the divided material into the tank at an angleand abovefsaid Side.kr

according to size or bulk, comprising` a tank or .rereptacle adapted to hold a body of fluid in eaiescent conditionand havingy an inclined side Wall and a bottoni provided with outlets arranged at different distances from said side Vall and means :tor feeding the divided material .into the tank in position such that. in its 'all it inayy engage the inclined side Wall.

lO. lil ans for sepaaating or classifying the particles or units of solid divided niaterial'aceordino `to size or bulk7 comprising a tanlr or reecptacle adapted to hold a body of fluid in quiescent condition and having an inclined side Wall and va` bottornl provided with outlets arranged at .different distances from said side Wall., and means forfeeding the'niaterial into the tank or receptacle at an angle to the vertical but in such position that in its fall through the contained fluid it may engage the inclined side Wall.

ll. Means torseparating,` or sorting particles or units or solid divided material into aggregates of approximately the same Weight and size, comprising, a vessel or/receptacle through which an ascending volume o't'luid of diminishincgy velocity diminishing upwardly may be directed and one or i'iuid containing,` compartments connected to the side of said vessel intermediate tl'iefnletv provided with outletsvat different distancesroin said side ,vall, the inlet to said coinpartinent being arranged to deliver the outflow troni the lirst-nanied vessel at above thefinclined side v\\'all.

l2. Means 'for separating or sort-ing particles or units of solid divided material into aggregates of approximately the saine Weight and size, conoprising)` a vessel. or receptacle through which an ascending volume oi vfluid ot` diminishing velocity diininishing` upwardly may be directed and one or more Huid containing compartments connected to the side oi said vessel intermediate the inlet and outlet thereof, each said compartment having aninclined side Wall and bottom provided with outlets at dii?- ferent distanoes from said side Wall, the inlet to said compartment being arranged to deliver the outflow it'roin the rst-nan'ied vessel into the liquid at an angle to the vertical.

Signed at San Francisco in the county of San Francisco and State or Caliiornia7 this 28th day ot February, A. D. 1920.

WALTER N. DMMCK.

llfi tnesses F. B.l ToWNsnND, y lnnNn Lnrrrovvrrz.

a point 

